A large scale data centers or computing environments, such as a network services exchange provider or co-location provider, typically include significant computing resources and infrastructure. Data centers may be shared by the multiple tenants locating networking equipment within the data centers. As such, a data center typically includes numerous electronic devices that produce heat, including network, server, and storage equipment. The data center may also include a variety of other equipment, such as cooling units to supply cool air so as to regulate temperature within the data center.
Each data center typically includes a number of primary and backup power distribution units for distributing power to devices within the facility. For example, the electrical power system of the data center includes one or more electrical power sources, and an arrangement of electrical conductors utilized to distribute the electrical power provided by the one or more power sources to various electrical loads that are to be powered by the system. The conductive pathways may be referred to as “branch circuits,” wherein each branch circuit comprises conductors, for example conductive metal wires, that electrically couple the loads to be powered to the one or more power sources in the system. A given branch circuit may branch into multiple additional branch circuits, depending on the arrangement of the electrically conductive pathways. In addition, a branch circuit in general is configured to electrically couple one or more of the loads to be powered by the system to one or more of the power sources provided in the system.
In operation, electrical power, in the form of a flow of current, is provided to the branch circuits by the conductive pathways. Under normal operating conditions, the level of the current flow through any given one of the branch circuits is determined by the current requirements dictated by the load or loads coupled to that particular branch circuit. Under other conditions, such as when an open circuit, a short circuit, or a ground-fault condition occurs in the system, the flow of current from the power sources and/or through one or more of the branch circuits may be affected by these other conditions, and may be partially or entirely dictated by the particular condition instead of being dictated by that loads as would occur under normal operating conditions. In many instances, the ability to monitor the current flow within one or more portions of the system is helpful for diagnosis of electrical problems within the system, and in some instances may be required, for example by law or for compliance with other safety regulations or standards.